


At The Mercy Of The Moon

by hybridshade (shimyaku)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Males, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternative Werewolf Lore, Angst, Challenge Response, Creation Myth, Doubt, Explicit Sexual Content, Hurt Jensen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Magic, Mania, Mating, Meant To Be, Pack Dynamics, Telepathy, Transformation, Werewolf Culture, Werewolf Lore, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-04 01:03:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1761353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shimyaku/pseuds/hybridshade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared lives his life as Head Alpha well within his means, but when a man is found hauling a captive wolf across his lands, everything begins to change and Jared may need to lay his life on the line.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At The Mercy Of The Moon

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** written for [](http://spn-meanttobe.livejournal.com/profile)[**spn_meanttobe**](http://spn-meanttobe.livejournal.com/). With bonus art by [](http://inanna-maat.livejournal.com/profile)[**inanna_maat**](http://inanna-maat.livejournal.com/) [right over here](http://inanna-maat.livejournal.com/100420.html)!! :D  
>  I should also note that I got completely hopped-up on backstory and lore with this, so I apologise for this being somewhat self-indulgent and possibly not very coherent... *thumbs up*
> 
>  **Based on the Prompt: 'The Wolf's Surrender'**  
>  As the leader of the Blackpaw werewolf pack, Nick Jenner had spent years protecting his people from dark outside forces. When the victim of a feral drifter turns up on Blackpaw territory, he thinks nothing of bringing her home while her attacker is hunted down and destroyed. But Jenner soon finds that nothing about his alluring new houseguest is what it seems.  
>  Mia D'Alessandro, a dark beauty with abilities she would rather forget, was mortified to find herself the victim of a man she thought she could trust. As the full moon approaches, his bite will unleash an inner wolf that can destroy her unless she bonds with a pack. But the darkness now stalking her threatens to destroy far more, including her strong, silent guardian.

 

 

 

"It's coming up one-hundred years, Sire."

Jared stared intently into the crackling flames leaping about the fireplace, pleading that an answer might spark and burn itself onto the back of his eyelids. It was not a topic he liked to think about, yet it was not a topic that could be ignored. For their species to go on as they were, it was imperative.

"I haven't forgotten, Aldis. I almost wish I could, though…"

"As long as you're aware."

Yes, his time would come due soon. Samantha would call for him and Jared would leave to take her place. And there he would remain for the next hundred years, living in a cave up in the hills, guarding the hidden plateau that served as the burial grounds for the Firsts. It was a sacred place, a mystical place, filled with the eerie sense that you were being watched. Many maintained that the Firsts had not died when they had turned to stone nearly two millennia ago, that they were merely sleeping while they waited for the world to change, and it was them that watched on despite their stasis.

It was largely the Ancients that thought this – the children of the Firsts, the oldest of living wolves, and thus the most connected to the spiritual world. Younger generations just thought they were in denial about the fate of their Makers, but they couldn't help that they weren't 'in tune' with their heritage the way the Ancients were. Jared had thought about it often, but could not decide whether their magic was simply dying out over time, or if the younger ones simply did not _believe_ the way their ancestors had done. They still changed by the light of the full moon, but they often had little control over their wolf, very few were able to master mind-speak, and even fewer lived to find their true mate. It made him mourn for the old ways.

Ancients – such as Jared was – were tasked with guarding the burial grounds for a hundred years at a time. It was a rite of passage, an honour and a privilege, but Jared dreaded the arrival of his turn. With each guard change there would be a 'sense' that would spread among all the Ancients, assuring them that a new guard had taken over and forewarning them as to who the next guard would be. Jared lived in trepidation of that next forewarning, or rather, the lack of one.

Samantha was the current guardian and a close confidante of Jared's. It had been Jared she'd called upon fifty years ago when she had woken after being knocked unconscious, only to find the stone statue of the last remaining First to be gone. There had only ever been two Firsts – one of them had disappeared early on during their time of sleep, the Father, but the remaining one had mentally and wordlessly soothed their nerves. She had reassured the Ancients that one First was more than enough and that the Father was still out there in the world somewhere.

But then, with the Mother gone too…

Jared and Samantha had kept the news of the theft between only a very small group of wolves whom they trusted implicitly. Then they had spent the last fifty years searching the globe for any sign of the lost First, only to come up empty every time.

Though he maintained his position as Head Alpha of a pack – as all the living Ancients did – being alive for several millennia had made Jared world weary and it was hard for him to constantly maintain interest in day-to-day matters. The travelling he had done in search of the lost Mother had given him purpose for a short while, yes, but now that he had ceased, it only made him feel more apathetic than ever.

Sometimes his chest ached. He occasionally found himself rubbing over a spot where a deep scar used to be. The scar was gone now, faded with time, but the sting of it still lingered beneath the surface.

"I'm aware," he finally responded, turning to Aldis, his second in command, "But I'm always aware. That's half the problem."

"There is still time – short by our measure, but it is there nonetheless. And I know you haven't been listening the way you usually do, but I have, and I feel something heavy upon the wind. I feel it in my bones, even."

Jared sighed with his tongue firmly in cheek. "My bones are old and brittle. They don't 'feel' as well as they used to. All I get is a few aches when there's rain coming."

"That's bullshit and you know it, Jared." Aldis leaned in close and stared Jared down with that disapproving scowl of his. "Even among the Ancients you're one of the oldest and one of the most powerful. I don't know why you're shutting yourself off like this, but you need to pull your head out of your ass and pay attention. Something's coming and you're the only one with the juice to see what it is and give us adequate warning."

Only Aldis could possibly get away with speaking to him like that, but it got the hint of a smile tickling at Jared's lips and he nodded at his second, dismissing him.

Yes, he had been shutting himself off, but it was _because_ he knew there was something coming. It was poor leadership on his part, but he couldn't help the fear all the same. It wouldn't be long before everyone else caught on to their secret. When Jared took position as guardian and no signal went out…

He let his head drop into his hands.

How could he be such an old dog, thousands of years old in fact, and still feel as useless as a pup?

 

~///~

 

Jared stormed out the front of his house, phone in hand.

It had taken him some time to come to terms with the whole 'mobile phone' thing, but he liked it for the fact that he could be alerted to any problems with a simple call or message, rather than someone waking him recklessly with their ungraceful mind-speak or bashing his door in during the middle of the night. A few thousand years of that and any sane man would be irritated by it.

He stood on his porch and looked across the span of his pack's settlement, his superior vision cutting through the darkness, and noticed the two Alphas coming quickly towards him. He stepped out to meet them halfway.

"Matt, Kim, report."

"Ty was patrolling, Sire. Got a whiff of something and stalked it. He called a few of the others to help him."

"It was a man, Sire," Kim cut in, flicking her hair out of her face, "Or, what smelled like a man, and he was dragging a Were, all tied up with chains."

Jared frowned, not sure what to make of the news. "Have they been apprehended?"

"They've netted the Were. Still chasing the man down at last report."

"They had to _chase_ the man?"

"Yes, Sire."

"Then he's surely no ordinary man. What of the wolf? Is he being brought in?"

Both the Alphas seemed hesitant.

"Ty and Aldis were… escorting him to the shack," Kim said finally.

"He's manic then?"

"He was _something_ , Sire, that's for sure. Half-starved and crazed like I've never seen."

Jared nodded and sent them off to help with the chase. He then turned towards the shack and started walking. It was a good ten minutes from the village, but they kept it isolated for a reason. It was fortunate that wolves were unlikely to get sick with viral diseases and the like, but they could certainly become mentally sick. A young alpha losing control of his wolf, or a spouse losing their mate – there were a number of things that could cause a wolf to become extremely volatile and dangerous, and therefore put the pack at risk. The shack was the best place for them. It was quiet, secure, and away from the main pack land.

He met Aldis as he was heading back, likely on his way to get Jared.

"It's definitely a first," he said, falling in at Jared's side, "I've never seen anything, or felt anything like it."

"You're going to have to be more specific."

Aldis tugged back the sleeves and collar of his shirt, exposing a number of deep scratches. "Vicious bastard, fought us all the way and completely beyond rationality. And couldn't get a mental hold on him either. Can't blame him, though. He's clearly been held captive for an extended period. Tortured by the looks of it. Heavily scarred. Hasn't been allowed to heal up properly."

"Shit." Jared ran his fingers through his hair repeatedly – a clear sign of his agitation. "Do we know who this guy is that had him?"

"James and Osric are chasing him down. He had the scent of a man, but his face… looked like a botched science experiment, to be honest."

They stayed silent as they followed a track through the forest and came upon a clearing, the shack sitting precisely in the middle. Two male betas stood guard by the door, their postures straightening once they caught sight of their Head Alpha. Then another lot of footsteps hurried up behind them and Richard appeared out of the shadows, first aid kit in tow.

"Hiya, Boss," Richard piped in with a sly little smile, "Want me to get a look at the patient first, or—?"

Everyone was looking at him, waiting for a response, an order of some kind. Instead, Jared closed his eyes and turned his ears to the trees, his nose to the wind. Aldis had been on his case recently to start paying more attention, had he not? And so Jared decided to listen. He opened his senses and let the state of things guide him, sounds and smells and the feel of the atmosphere filtering through him until a clear certainty settled down deep in his heart.

"No."

Jared flicked his eyes back open and looked around, eyeing everyone present individually.

"I would like you all to leave, please."

Silence followed. Richard shifted awkwardly on his feet. Aldis opened his mouth to speak.

"I don't think—"

"I'm not asking."

The two betas still standing by the shack started edging their way around them, immediately heading back towards the settlement. Richard then urged the first aid kit into Jared's hold and started backing away. Aldis, on the other hand, held his ground.

"You always told me I should slap you if I thought you were about to do something incredibly stupid, and I'm really close right about now."

"There's something in the air, Aldis. It's telling me I need to see this wolf on my own and without prejudice."

Aldis contemplated him for a moment.

"You mean you actually listened to me the other day? Well I'll be damned…"

His second gave him a slap on the shoulder instead the backside of his head, and Jared let a grin slide over his lips as Aldis headed back home.

Finally alone, Jared took a breath and readied himself for what he was about to find inside the shack. As an Ancient and as the Head of a pack, Jared endured great pain when a wolf under his charge was sick or injured in some way. Sure, this particular Were wasn't officially 'his' by any means, but he was on Jared's property and was under Jared's care, whether he liked it or not. That meant he would be provided for in whatever way Jared could suitably allow, and he would do his best to get the Were home again, wherever that might be. It was a system the Ancients had agreed upon long ago, that they would offer their pack's hospitality to any who needed it, at least so long as they had no reason to feel directly threatened.

Jared did have to consider that the wolf in question could pose a threat to either him or the pack, but reports so far had suggested the wolf to be a threat more to himself than to anyone else.

He stepped into the small construction, lit by a single bulb that dangled from the ceiling. The shack's dilapidated appearance from outside belied the actual strength of the walls, but necessary precautions were exactly that, and Jared secured the door behind him. Lying on the small cot in the corner was a wolf in human form. There was no mistaking that scent – any Were could identify another by their smell – but Jared usually had a knack for approximating the age of a wolf and yet his senses were completely screwing with him, not even allowing him to make a generalised guess. That set him on edge from the beginning.

The man was dressed in rags, dirty and threadbare, and they did nothing to hide the body wasting away beneath them. The man had very little meat left on his bones, and what _was_ there was either mottled with bruises or bore scarring of badly healed wounds, just as Aldis had indicated. The only way a Werewolf could sustain that sort of scarring was if they'd been held in silver restraints and then left unable to shift during the full moon. Whoever had held this man had known what they were doing and had done it with harmful intent.

Kicked onto the floor on the other side of the shack was a jumble of silver – he could feel the buzz of his sensitivity toward it rippling beneath his skin. Part of the silver was the netting Aldis and Ty would have used to take down the Were and transport him to this place, though it was made of an alloy so as not to directly harm whoever it captured, only slow them down. What was prickling Jared's skin, however, was a set of silver-lined cuffs and chains. They looked heavy and were tarnished along the edges of the cuffs, telling Jared that these must have been used to control the Were completely and totally. It made him feel sick to the stomach.

Looking back at the man, Jared noted that he now wore the iron chains that were attached to the shack's walls, but some cloth had been wrapped around the man's wrists first so that the metal didn't cause any more damage. He figured that the Were must have been unconscious by that stage in order for Aldis or Ty to get close enough to do that. It was possible the netting had been enough to cause the man to faint – already weakened and already cuffed with silver, the silver netting could easily have proven too much.

A wooden stool was propped against the wall and Jared pulled it to the side of the cot and sat himself down.

Even in sleep the man looked distressed, and Jared wished he could alleviate his pain in some way. But if he knew anything about victims of captivity, it was that the mental injury was often far greater than the physical. He could at least begin to take care of the physical injury, though, and he pulled a clean cloth from the first aid kit, along with some ointment, wet the cloth at the nearby tap, and set to work.

A jagged scratch on the Were's neck was the worst of his visible wounds, so Jared pressed the cloth to it gently, dabbing at the dried blood that had crusted on the skin.

All Jared got in warning was a harsh gasp, and then the Were suddenly jerked back from him, eyes wide with fear and his body trying to flee though his limbs refused to cooperate.

"Calm yourself," Jared soothed, "I'm not here to hurt you. I only want to lessen you pain."

"You-… who—?"

"My name is Jared. I'm Head Alpha in these parts. Can you tell me your name?"

"Jen…" the man cleared his throat, "Jensen."

"Nice to meet you Jensen. Looks like you've been having a pretty horrible time of it, lately."

Jensen flat out flinched.

"I-… That man…"

"I've got several of my best alphas out there chasing him. We've got some rather serious questions to ask him, as it happens. I wonder, can you tell me if he's a man or a Were?"

A few choked-off sounds passed Jensen's lips and then he started to shake.

"I don't… can't… don't know… I—"

"Hey, now."

Jared dared to place his hand atop one of Jensen's own. The skin was cold to the touch and Jensen's fingers curled into a tight fist, but he didn't throw Jared off which was something.

"As long as you're here you are safe and protected, okay? I suppose it doesn't mean much, but you have my word."

He tried again to tend to Jensen's wounds and this time the Were let him. He cleaned and spread salve over every scrape and bruise that was visible, using bandages when necessary, and then found yet more when Jensen allowed him to cut the tattered shirt from his torso. All the while he prodded at Jensen's mind, using brief skin-to-skin touches to try and anchor himself, give himself more leverage. But Jared failed every time. Jensen's thoughts were shut up tight, like diamonds behind a six-inch steel wall. Besides the Ancients, never had he met a Were with such formidable mental strength. Even more so since Jensen was weak and injured.

Once he was done playing doctor, Jared pulled a blanket over Jensen's body and assured him he'd be back with hot soup and water. He retrieved what he needed in good time, but once he re-entered the shack, Jensen was already dead to the world.

 

~///~

 

Jared awoke to the pressure of a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to find Aldis staring down at him worriedly.

"You ask me for a neck rub and I will fucking hurt you."

Cataloguing his surroundings, Jared reached the conclusion that he must have fallen asleep leaning against the wall of the shack, still watching over Jensen. He yawned and stretched, making a face when he discovered one hell of a crick in his neck, and pointedly ignored Aldis' 'I told you so' expression.

"You get anywhere?"

"A couple of steps," Jared said as he got to his feet, joints popping as he straightened up, "No further. Fell asleep before I got going, really, so I'll try again later. Get a couple of the boys to keep watch outside, someone can leave a tray of food or something, but no one else goes in alright?"

Jared strode outside, trusting Aldis to take care of his orders.

"Any updates with our mysterious running man?"

"Nothing, Sire. There's no trace of him anywhere."

With a nod, Jared headed back to the settlement. Given, they weren't as slow-moving as vampires, but with a millennia-long lifespan, Werewolves didn't generally rush into things. They could be hasty when they needed to be, of course, and they loved to run and hunt in their wolf forms while under the light of the full moon, but their lifestyle was fairly easy-going if somewhat regimented. So no doubt the night's events would be the most action they'd seen in several years. Everyone would be talking about it, everyone would want to know more about the outsider and what it was about him that had gotten him sent to the shack.

Jared wanted to keep things quiet as much as possible, however. He would need to tell everyone to be vigilant, what with a crazed man on the loose, but Jensen was a victim, he didn't need a whole pack's worth of wolves all up in his business – not while he was healing, at least.

Which brought Jared to the most important matter at hand.

He headed straight toward his own house, up the stairs, and climbed his way out onto the roof. He found himself a comfortable spot and closed his eyes. He focussed. He sent his mind out upon the wind, angling it toward the East, projecting his call further and faster across the land.

Until someone caught it.

Jared made the connection, allowed it to intensify, and threw all his disarrayed findings in one direction.

 

~///~

 

It was another day before he got any response.

He slept, ate, went about his usual routine, then took another lot of food and medical supplies out to the shack. Misha and Rob – an alpha and beta – were standing guard outside, and both looked shaken.

"Report?"

Misha urged Rob on with a tilt of his head.

"The screaming is almost… too much for me, Sire. I tried to offer food and I think he just wanted to pounce on me and rip me to shreds. I've heard about Mitch, the last of this pack to turn manic, but he was before my time. So I don't really know…?"

"He doesn't really know how to handle it, is what he means," Misha cut in, "And I don't mean to be presumptuous, but, you are going to put him down, aren't you, Sire? From what I've heard, when an alpha gets this bad, they can't really turn back."

It was presumptuous, but for all Misha's boldness, he was an intelligent guy, and surprisingly thoughtful. So Jared had to wonder if things had really progressed that far so quickly, if Jensen had just _slipped_ while he wasn't there, fallen so deep he was irretrievable. It would break his heart to have to do it, but leaving an alpha like that, in a constant state of incurable mania, that was infinitely more cruel.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. Jensen was quite placid with me last night, so if he's progressed this quickly… I don't know. I sent a call to Head Alpha Morgan yesterday, I'm still waiting for a response."

Misha and Rob went on their way and Jared headed inside. The blankets, and Jensen's hair and remaining clothes, were all in a shambles, as if he'd been flailing around. He blinked awake as Jared pulled up the stool again, and calmly sat up and took a cup of soup from Jared's hands as he poured it from a thermos.

"I've had some of my pack keeping an eye on you," Jared said gently, "They tell me you thrash and scream a lot. Like you're manic."

Jensen took several sips of the soup before answering, staring thoughtfully down into the cup.

"Maybe they're right. I mean, I can't… My thoughts are full of holes. Like fucking Swiss cheese."

"Try not to worry too much, if it's possible. Agitation and frustration will only make it harder to remember things. You remember me, though, apparently..."

"I remember you patching me up last night. Don't really remember how I got all the scratches, though."

"What about the man that had you?"

"I…"

Like the previous night, Jensen seemed to tense up as soon as the man was mentioned. It made Jared's heart ache and his blood boil – he wanted to kill whatever monster could do this to a Were. He wanted to rip them apart and taste their flesh between his teeth.

"He hurt me, I know that. I don't remember a lot but I remember the pain well enough."

"How long, do you think?"

"It must have been a while. Because I remember him looking younger. And a lot different, than what he looks like now."

"My second told me he looked disfigured."

"He does. He… I _know_ I know why, but I just- I can't-…"

When the soup was gone, Jared pushed Jensen back onto the bed and pulled up the covers. He was out like a light.

 

~///~

 

His phone rang on his way back home.

It wasn't until he had the thing sitting in his palm that he saw the time and realised he'd been sitting with Jensen for the better part of the day.

" _Jared, you know we live in the twenty-first century, right? We have phones now. You're allowed to use them._ "

"Hello to you, too, Jeff. And I like phones well enough, but there's just certain things words can't convey, don't you think?"

" _Fair enough. Sounds like quite the pickle you've got over there._ "

"You might call it that. Which is why I called on you. You're the ideas man."

" _I'm flattered. But look, Jared, I'm not sure how much help I can offer…_ "

"Even the smallest thing is still something."

 

~///~

 

"Jensen, do you know how old you are?"

The man shrugged and looked away, as if he were ashamed to not know the answer. "Don't know exactly. I vaguely remember being turned during the Great War, though."

"Meaning you're a bit over one hundred." _And far too young to have that sort of mental strength._

"If you include my being human."

Jared frowned without meaning to. "And why wouldn't I?"

"The pack I was with… at the very beginning, I mean. They were… they talked a lot of trash about other packs. And about tradition. Harped on about the Ancients and magic fairy dust and shit like that."

"You know I'm an Ancient, right?"

Jared dared to grin a little, which turned to a full-on smile when Jensen grinned back.

"I figured. You're the first one I've met but I've heard lots about your kind. And you don't smell like a normal Were, so that narrowed things down."

"What do I smell like, then?"

"I don't know," Jensen said shyly, looking away again, "Just, _more_. Deeper, richer, earthier. Something like that."

"Do you know what mind-speak is?"

"Yeah, but I've never been able to do it."

"That's fine, I just want you to try something with me."

Jared held his hands out in front of him and waited for Jensen to do the same, placing his hands on top. Jared curled their fingers together and slowly explained what he was going to do. When he had spoken to Jeff the day before, the other Ancient had been intrigued by the impenetrable wall in Jensen's mind and suggested Jared try asking Jensen himself to weaken the wall, to build a doorway and let him in.

Jensen did well for his first try.

They didn't get as far as a doorway, it was more like a mouse-hole than anything. Or a crack, maybe. But even so, Jared was able to catch glimpses of _something_ in there. He was able to grasp the sense that Jensen was floating in a limbo of some kind, that he was tied to another place or person, drifting between presence and absence. Jared had to question whether Jensen's Maker had failed to turn Jensen properly in the first place, or whether the elusive man with the disfigured face was somehow involved.

Either way, it only lasted a few attempts and already Jensen was exhausted.

Again Jared put him to sleep and headed back home. It was dark as he headed along the forest path, little light available to guide the way – not that Jared needed it. Still, the shadows were there to be wary of. They were neither friend nor enemy, and Jared knew well that the worst of fates was not to live or to die, but to become lost.

 

~///~

 

Several more days passed of hours spent at Jensen's side - prodding at his mind, looking for a way in.

It was exhausting for both of them, but Jared knew the answers were locked away within, and Jensen knew he needed to fill in the blanks before he lost his mind completely.

"I don't like what you're doing," Aldis told him one night, "We don't know who this Jensen is, where he's from, we don't even know if that's his real name!"

"Of course it's his real name. What other name is there, and what reason would he have to lie?"

"Jared, listen to me. You speak as if he's sane. But he's far from it—"

"There's nothing wrong with him! He's been tortured. He has memory loss. That's to be expected!"

"I have to wonder if you're losing it, man, because I'm telling you, you're the only one who thinks he's okay. Seriously, every alpha and beta who's been on guard says he does nothing more than howl and try to attack at the very sight of them."

"He's irrationally scared, alright? That's the best I can offer. But he's not like that with me."

"Jared, what if his mind's been locked away like that for a reason? I think—"

"Get out."

"Sire—"

"Get the fuck out!"

 

~///~

 

Something pulled Jared back into consciousness and he pushed himself up on the bed, blearily wiping away the sleep from his eyes. His limbs felt heavy and slow, his motor functions not reacting as immediately as they should. His head was clouded with a thick fog, and it took Jared a few drawn out moments to gather his wits about him and assess the situation.

He was in his own bed – alone – which was a good start. But then he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, meaning he hadn't changed since returning home, and that was definitely cause for concern. He didn't feel injured in any way, and that was generally the only reason why a wolf of his strength would pass out so completely. Once upon a time he would have thought it was some sort of magic, but it was going on five hundred years since he'd last felt the familiar tingle of magic brushing against his skin.

Thinking back on the previous night, he knew he'd been talking to Jensen again, for most of the afternoon, actually. He'd told him a bit more about the pack and their way of life, a little about the Firsts, nothing too intense. Then he'd left once it had begun to turn dark outside, making sure the extra blankets were all within Jensen's reach. Once he'd gotten back his front door… that's when things started to turn fuzzy. Jared remembered climbing the stairs, but not entering the bedroom or anything after that.

Except, that wasn't completely true.

He recalled having vivid dreams as he slept. Not full scenes, but just flashes and vague hints of things. There were bright colours and swirling images, distorted faces. Magic.

It was possible something in his dream had prompted him to call upon his own magic. It was definitely in the air, but he would know if he'd been affected by an unfamiliar touch – an individual's power had a certain taste about it, much like the way a wolf could tell between his pack members when they spoke telepathically. With Weres it was all about taste and smell.

Jared had to wonder if this wasn't the first time he'd dreamed in this way. He'd been keeping strange hours ever since Jensen had been captured, but for whatever reason he did not blame the outsider. His reasoning told him that the supposed _man_ they were still in pursuit of was the one to blame. Once they found out what he'd been up to, a good many of their questions would be answered. He was sure of it.

The shrill chime of his phone brought Jared's thinking processes to a screaming halt, and he fumbled with his sleep-thick fingers, trying to hit the right button.

"'lo?"

"Sire, you awake?"

"Am now."

Aldis huffed from down the line. "I tried to call upon your mind about five minutes ago but got no response. Had me worried there for a minute."

That must have been what brought him awake, but the fact that it didn't register that he'd been called upon told Jared he'd been very heavily asleep indeed.

"What's all that noise in the background?"

"It's screaming."

"Screaming? Aldis, what the fuck is—"

"I want to show you something, Jared. I want you to see this for yourself since you're so deep in denial."

The call turned to a video call and Jared held up the phone and waited. He got a glimpse of Aldis' face at first, with the light of the shack in the background. The light grew as Aldis moved forward, and the sound of screaming intensified. The video passed through the doorway and angled down, showing the cot where Jensen usually laid. But the image of Jensen he was being shown was not the image he was used to. It was not an image he'd seen before. He couldn't even be sure it _was_ Jensen.

Yet there on the screen, Jensen's eyes were aglow with molten gold – a werewolf's eyes, filled with anger and pain. His nails and teeth were very slightly elongated and he was snapping at the three alphas trying to hold him down. Misha, Ty, and Matt, were all straining to keep Jensen at bay, gross choked-off howls filling the small space of the shack.

Without even thinking to end the call, Jared stuck his phone in his pocket and took off at a run. He pushed past the front door, not bothering to close it, and dashed into the forest as fast as his legs could carry him. He could run faster as a wolf, of course, but the time and effort it would take to force a shift less than a week out from the full moon would only waste time and weaken his body. Even so, he made the ten-minute walk in all of two minutes.

"Aldis!"

His second poked his head out the door of the shack, eyes widening when he spotted Jared. He jumped out of the way and held open the door, Jensen's screams filtering out into the early morning air.

"Sire, we even tried a tranquiliser, but it didn't—"

The moment Jared set foot inside everything went dead quiet.

Misha and Ty both stumbled as the limbs they'd been trying so hard to restrain suddenly went completely limp.

"Holy-"

"What the fuck? He—"

"Shut up, Ty."

Jared pushed through to kneel at the side of the cot, pressing a hand to Jensen's forehead – it was burning hot. Jensen's eyes drooped, and his vision wasn't focussed, but as soon as he caught sight of Jared he smiled.

"Jared. I—"

The smile faltered. He looked down at his arms and chest. At the smattering of fresh scratches decorating his body.

"I… don't know what's happening to me."

He looked to Jared for answers, but Jared had none.

"I wish I could tell you, Jensen. But I'm about as lost as you are."

Shoes scuffed along the hard floor as the other pack members left, leaving Jared and Jensen alone.

"Maybe it would be better if you just killed me like they say."

"Jensen, no—"

"Even though I don't remember it, I can just tell I'm getting more and more out of control when you're not here. I know there's been other people here but I don't remember them, I only remember you. I'm only lucid when _you're_ here. I don't know what that means, but—"

"It means we're meant to be together, don't you think?" Jared chanced a small smile, before it dropped away again. "And anyway, I couldn't hurt you, even if I wanted to. Even for the good of the pack."

"Jared—"

"I've never said that about anyone before," Jared confessed in a rush, his voice shaking, "You understand? And even if I had I wouldn't have meant it."

Jensen reached out to him, but Jared stood up in a hurry, fumbling with a small box perched up high above the door, and he returned brandishing a key, which he used to unlock the cuffs around Jensen's wrists. They both froze as the metal clattered to the ground, the cloth padding behind it, but when several seconds went by and nothing happened, Jared literally scooped Jensen into his arms and pulled him into his lap.

"Maybe you have enchanted me with magic, even unwittingly, but I can't find it in myself to care."

Jensen buried his face in Jared's shoulder, nosing against the collar of his shirt.

"I don't want to hurt you. Or anyone else. Even if you can't kill me I'd be better off in chains, just in case."

"Don't talk about it. I'm going to figure things out one way or another." He pulled Jensen back so they were looking eye to eye. "Do you trust me?"

Jensen swallowed. "I think you're the _only_ one I trust."

It was all Jared needed to hear. Against every instance of better judgement he still leaned in and pressed their lips together, Jensen gasping in shock before he responded in kind. His lips parted and Jared seized the moment, licking into Jensen's mouth and desperate with the need to devour. Jensen gave as good as he got, and the flavour was near overwhelming. Jared could taste so much from his mouth alone, his love and desire, and it was more than enough to assure Jared that he was making the right decision. There was nothing about Jensen himself that had any intent to do harm, and Jared practically mewled with relief.

"This is…" Jensen gasped between kisses, "How is this…? How do you love me so much? And I can taste it on my tongue, so certain."

"It's magic," Jared grinned, "Werewolves were borne from magic, don't you know? The Firsts were shaped from the elements, brought to life by a god who dwelled here on Earth. Then they used their own magic to create the Ancients as their children, and we've created you all in turn. The Firsts always swore on the importance of taste."

"That's amazing, but… stop talking."

"Sure thing."

Feeling light as a feather, Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen's middle, pulling their bodies closer together. He'd put a little more meat on his body since Jared had been feeding him, and some of his more recent scratches and some of the smaller scars were starting to fade more quickly as Jensen got his strength back. It only made Jared want to touch him all the more, and so he did, running his hands over every available patch of skin, then up under the shirt Jared had given him to wear. He would make a formidable alpha and an incredible mate once he was back to full health. He was lucky the younger generations didn't mind the odd pairing of two alphas or two betas, since it hadn't always been that way. Though, thankfully, even the older generations had acclimatised to the idea without too much trouble.

Jensen moved back and shimmied out of his new shirt and pants, prompting Jared to do the same. Then Jensen pulled him down onto the cot, urging him to lie on top, and wrapping his legs around Jared's waist. Their cocks lined up perfectly, and Jared grasped them both in one hand, Jensen bucking up at the sudden sweet touch. They frotted against one another for some time, Jared squeezing their lengths together, but Jensen stopped him just as he was beginning to find a rhythm.

"Wait, stop, before I… Wanna… want you in me. Jared, please."

Jared leaned over to scramble for the first aid kit, pulling out a tube of lotion that had been left in there at some point. He sat back on his knees and lifted Jensen's legs, exposing him to the light so he could see every little reaction he made. And react, he did. He twitched and shook with each tease of a fingertip, and eagerly swallowed up Jared's fingers when he finally started to stretch Jensen out, using up ample amounts of the lotion.

"C'mon already!"

Not willing to hold out any longer, Jared slicked himself up and lined up his cock with Jensen's hole. He eased forward as slowly as he could bear, and Jensen pulled him back down for a kiss just as he had buried himself completely. Something seemed to 'connect' between them at that moment, and Jared heaved a breath as his head spun briefly before settling again, focussing back on Jensen's kiss. Their mouths met messily and between the clacking and nipping of their teeth, blood was spilled, passing between their lips. Jensen groaned at the complex taste and bit deeper, looking for more.

While letting Jensen do as he pleased, Jared started to thrust in earnest, Jensen threading his fingers through his hair just to hold on. Neither of them held out for long, though. The tension built and built, Jared sliding his hand between them and grasping a hold of Jensen's cock, jerking him frantically. Jensen lost it within moments after that, spilling over Jared's hand and stomach, while Jared's hips suddenly stuttered to a stop, shoulders heaving with the effort of holding himself up.

Jensen managed to retrieve a cloth from somewhere close by and clean them both off, and then Jared dropped heavily into the cot, tucking Jensen in at his side.

"Mate."

"Yes, mate."

"You're mine now. I won't let anyone take you from me."

"Good," Jensen huffed, "'Cause I don't want to go."

 

~///~

 

Jared found himself sucked out from another strange dream by a frenzied pulling at his arm.

He found Jensen above him, holding himself as if in pain. Immediately he was wide awake once more.

"What's the matter? Are you hurting?"

Jensen nodded with a wince. "Feels like… my skin's all wrong. Like I don't fit."

Without warning Jared ventured into his mind. And for the very first time he slipped right in without first being flung into a thick wall. They were mated now, for all intents and purposes – they had fucked and shared blood between them, that was all it really took – so it made sense he would have access to his mate's mind. Except that nothing about what he found felt right. Everything was jumbled, the thoughts were twisted and unintelligible, nothing smelled or tasted like it should. Like Jensen.

And yet. What he smelled and tasted was not wholly unfamiliar.

"You were… You… I felt that. In my head."

"You’re supposed to. Sense that I'm there, I mean. You'll get used to it."

"But?"

"But. Something's not right."

Jared sat up and started pulling his clothes on. He eyed the shackles lying on the floor.

"Do it," Jensen insisted.

"I don't want to," Jared said honestly, bending down to secure the cuffs all the same, "But the full moon is only two nights away now. It's normal to get a bit uncomfortable this close to turning."

"It's okay, Jared. I get it."

Jared bid him farewell with a kiss, hurrying out the door.

He barely made it half way home before a sudden sharp pain had him at a standstill. There was a fraction of a second of head-splitting agony, and then there was nothing.

 

~///~

 

"-red? Jared, can you hear me?"

"Ng'yeah."

"Fucking hell you're really working me over, lately. If you actually paid me I'd be asking for a rise after this, for sure."

Jared blinked awake to find himself on an unfamiliar bed, Aldis, Misha, and Richard, all standing over him.

"How's the head?" Richard stepped forward to shine a light in his eyes, but Jared just batted him away.

"Like I've been trodden on by a really big fucking shoe. What the hell happened?"

"You passed out. Misha found you. Luckily he was already on his way to get you."

"Good thing I didn't apparently," Misha grimaced, "'Cause you reek of bodily fluids, the sharing of which is not something I desire to see."

"Seriously, Jared. You had to go and mate the biggest head case we've ever encountered."

With a growl, Jared threw himself onto his feet, suddenly clear-headed and sure of his convictions. All three wolves jumped back with alarm.

"He's not a head case. Jensen is holding on better than any regular Were would under the same circumstances. What's going on has be _done_ to him, can't you see? That man, that _fucking man_ we can't seem to get our hands on. I don't know what he was trying to accomplish, but in the process he's unleashed a power he had no right to unleash, and if we don't figure something out before the full moon all of us are going to be completely fucked!"

Aldis, Misha, and Richard remained silent and wide-eyed.

"He's not wrong, boys."

They all turned to find Jeff Morgan standing in the doorway, looking gruff as ever.

"Jeff? How did you—"

"I just went to the house making the most racket. Easy."

"Wait," Richard cut in, "What do you mean he's not wrong?"

"I mean I'm pretty sure I found this monstrosity you're after – he's hanging around at my place these day, if you catch my meaning - and I'm pretty sure I know what his plan was. Naturally, he didn't consider the consequences of his actions. Which, as Jared pointed out, could really screw us all over."

"Start talking, then, Boss."

"Geez, so much talking… Fine. So, I don't know why the guy was snooping down my way, but he was. We didn't give chase, we decided to follow him instead. And it paid off big time. We found his little science lab, and we found the cage he was keeping your head case in. Gives me chills just thinking about it, to be honest."

Jared sighed. "So get to the good part, already."

"You're no fun, man. But seriously, this guy is a real whackjob. Turns out he used to be a Were."

"That's impossible. He smelled like _man_ "

"I know. I'm getting to that," Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose and then shoved his hands back in his pockets. "So obviously this guy was turned and then had some serious buyer's remorse. If you wanted to be a human again, what would you think was your one chance to make it happen? You'd have to harness the magic of the Makers, am I right?"

"Holy shit."

"That's an understatement."

Jared cleared his throat. "Except he succeeded, didn't he? At least, he thought he did."

"Quite right. He was the one that took Samantha down and stole the statue of the remaining First from the burial grounds. I don't know how he figured it out, but I guess if you talk to enough people it wouldn't be all that hard. Anyway, so he smashed open the statue. The heart of the First's power was encased in a small orb inside it. He captured Jensen – completely out of convenience' sake so far as I can tell – and forced the orb inside _him_. The First's power dispersed through his body, but it's too young a body and not enough to handle all that power."

"It was unstable from the start."

"Yes, Jared. Top of the class. So he forces Jensen – who's blacking out, and switching between being himself and being the First – to try and utilise the First's power to reverse his turning and make him human again. It goes wrong, obviously, and he's now stuck in a state somewhere between wolf and man."

"You know," Aldis marvelled from the back of the room, "It's kind of clever, even though it's not."

"I think we're beyond that now," Jared turned to the other Ancient, "So what do we do? The First's power is too far gone inside Jensen. If we try to extract it it'll kill him."

"But if we leave it the First will probably kill us all, right?"

"That was the warning. If a First was awoken before its time, once the full moon came and it turned, the beast would be unstoppable. It would lay waste to all its children and then mourn what it had done, ending itself and thus all our kind."

Jeff smirked. "I can't believe you remember all that. You're almost word-for-word."

"Are you kidding me? You don't remember word-for-word being told by our Makers how our own species will end?"

"Well… true." He shrugged. "Anyway, you and I need to go for a walk. You three stay here, got it?"

 

~///~

 

"What's going on?"

"I have a confession to make."

Jeff slipped an arm over Jared's shoulder as they walked along the forest trail, the shadows around them sliding down to brush their shoulders before disappearing back into the darkness. Jared had always had a good relationship with Jeff, better than he'd had with many of the other Ancients, at least. Jeff was an almost paternal figure for him, despite that they were essentially the same age. Jared had been lost when their Makers had abandoned them and turned to stone. He'd needed that parental-type leadership in his life, someone to give him direction. And Jeff had been that person.

For a while, that is.

For the first five hundred years after their Makers slept, the Ancients had more or less remained together, mourning as a family. The turning point had been when Jared was stabbed one night.

He touched his chest as he remembered the pain – the scar may have faded, but he still felt the ache of it sometimes.

Jared had never seen who had done it, and no one had ever owned up to it. Jared had simply woken up screaming and bleeding, an ornate dagger imbued with magic sticking out from his torso. Many of the others had rushed to him, and between them they had managed to save him from bleeding out, but the wound had not healed like any normal wound. The magic in the dagger had sickened him and damaged his healing ability. He'd been ill for decades after.

And still no one had ever taken responsibility.

The suspicions that had arisen between his brothers and sisters had driven them apart. They'd remained civil with each other, but things were never the same after that. Small groups of them had paired off and set off to travel and settle on their own. It was painful to remember how they had been, compared to how they remained to this day.

"What would you confess to me, brother?"

"Ugh," Jeff shook his head, "Don't you get all formal with me now. Please."

They stopped mid-step and stared at one another.

"My confession is going to hurt you. But it's also going to save us. And your mate."

"Just say it already."

"I was the one that stabbed you back then."

Jared took an unsteady step back.

"What? What do you-… You're not serious?"

"Deadly so. But I only did it because Father asked me to."

"Why would Father have asked such a thing? He was gone by then, anyway!"

"He asked _because_ he was gone." Jeff sighed heavily, scratching at his beard. "Father wasn't like Mother. She was world weary and completely disinterested in everything by then - kind of like you, funnily enough. But Father still had things he wanted to accomplish. He wanted to be remade anew, not sit in a stone shell for the rest of eternity."

"He never… He never told me that."

"I know. You were his favourite – he never said it out loud, but it was totally true, okay? – and he didn't want to burden you with his troubles. He knew they would get to you. So—"

Jeff pulled something from his pocket, and Jared picked up in the low light that it was the same dagger that had once been in his chest. Except, where there had once been a glowing jewel, the setting was now empty.

"The stone from this? It was—"

"It was the heart of his power," Jared gasped, "Oh, _fuck_."

Jared's knees went weak and Jeff barely caught him before he hit the ground.

"Easy there, big guy."

"I'm… I'm okay, I'm okay."

Jeff kept his arms around him until Jared had his legs back under him again.

"Wow, just… I'm not sure how to deal with that information."

"Just think of it as… He wanted to live his life vicariously through you. Or something. He wouldn't have trusted anyone else to keep his power safe, y'know? I'm just sorry he had to be so sneaky about it, and I'm sorry it made you sick, and I'm really sorry I stabbed you. If that makes any difference."

"Not really, but whatever. It was literally thousands of years ago."

"That's the ticket. Live in the present, man."

"Speaking of which, how do we solve this problem with Jensen?"

 

~///~

 

"Your Father did _what_?"

Jensen stared at Jared like he'd just made a really bad joke.

"It's true, I swear. But, I just found out a few minutes ago, you know?"

"That's a really shitty thing for someone to do. Even with good intentions."

"Well. People were pretty ruthless back then. And fancy daggers were a big deal."

Jensen's fingers clenched, the bruising around his wrists standing out in stark contrast to the pallor of his skin.

"Please don't joke about this."

"I'm sorry," Jared's voice dropped to a whisper, his hands reaching out to clasp around Jensen's. He gave them a squeeze and then used the leverage to pull them closer together, close enough for their noses to touch, and to breathe the same air. It was comforting.

"What do we do?"

"We have to force our bodies to turn. And we have to do it now. The full moon is tomorrow night and if you are left to turn naturally bad things will happen."

"Bad things?"

"Extremely bad things."

"Okay, then. Let's do it. Get it over with."

Jared made sure the door of the shack was secured and then knelt back on the floor. He pulled his Father's dagger from his pocket and checked the magic sigil Jeff had etched into the side of the blade. All that was left to do was…

He stabbed before he could talk himself out of it, his own heart clenching at the sight of blood slowly seeping from Jensen's chest. Then he lined the blade up and did it again to himself. The sharp metal sliced through his skin and into his flesh and muscle, the sigil reacting to his body and stirring his wolf from deep inside.

As an Ancient he usually had some degree of control over his turning, but not this time. This time it was completely independent of his own will, and his bones screamed and splintered open as they changed shape, a type of pain he had not known for many millennia.

Distantly he could see the shape of another wolf forming before him. Another wolf with lighter hair, grey almost, and stark green eyes. It looked monstrous compared to what he was used to seeing – huge across the shoulders and with teeth so long they hung down below his lower jaw. He might even have been scared were it not for the fact that Jared felt the size of his own body as it settled into the right shape. He was huge, too. Much bigger than he normally was when he turned. It must have been the effects of the First's power – he hadn't often seen his Makers when they were turned, but he remembered feeling small by comparison when he stood beside them.

Once things stopped changing, Jared collapsed to the ground, panting.

A cold snout nudged at him from the side, and Jared whimpered, nudging back.

_You alright?_

_Yeah. Tired, though. And you?_

_Tired. But coping._

The was a 'click' from behind and Jared turned like a shot, growling at the intruder.

But it was just Jeff, his hands held up in surrender.

"Whoa, there, Jared. Just me."

_Never just you._

Jeff huffed a laugh. "Yeah, true. You got me. But you guys have been in there for hours, and there're some people out here who'd like to see you."

Jensen nudged him again, this time from behind, and Jared forced himself up onto slightly unsteady legs.

They made their way out into the clearing, the sights and the smells of the outside almost overwhelming in their intensity. But his senses were almost forgotten when he found the clearing overrun with the presence of his brothers and sisters, all gathered together for the first time in thousands of years. He called out with thoughts of joy and many of them fell to their knees, responding with similar thoughts, all crowding into his mind.

Samantha was the first to approach, scratching him atop the head.

"I know you said you were going to figure something out after the First went missing, but seriously Jared, I'm sure there was an easier way."

 _Probably. Worked out for the best, though_.

He looked towards Jensen, who seemed a little overcome by all the attention.

"Sure did," Samantha cooed, "but I think you two ought to go for a run, huh? Stretch out those long new legs of yours.

Jensen yipped in agreement, and leapt off at a fast run, straight into the surrounding forest. Jared wasn't going to let him get away that easily.

He gave chase, speeding through the undergrowth with ease. Jensen teased him from up ahead, darting from side to side, but Jared caught him in the end. He decided he always would.

In fact, they could spend the rest of eternity catching each other.

~end~

  
  
art by [](http://inanna-maat.livejournal.com/profile)[**inanna_maat**](http://inanna-maat.livejournal.com/) please check her [art post](http://inanna-maat.livejournal.com/100420.html) and leave her some love~


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